Influenza outbreak spreads to 11 states; one death confirmed

President Obama pledged “great vigilance” in confronting the swine flu outbreak Wednesday night as it spread coast to coast across the United States.

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

Writer

Posted Apr. 30, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 30, 2009 at 2:11 PM

Posted Apr. 30, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 30, 2009 at 2:11 PM

WASHINGTON

» Social News

President Obama pledged “great vigilance” in confronting the swine flu outbreak Wednesday night as it spread coast to coast across the United States.

The outbreak hit 11 states and closed schools amid confirmation of the first U.S. death – a Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family – and the confinement of dozens of Marines after one came down with the disease in California.

About 100 schools were closed, and more might need to be shut down temporarily, Obama said, declaring, “This is obviously a very serious situation.” The total confirmed cases in the U.S. rose to nearly 100, with many more suspected.

Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in Atlanta there were confirmed cases in 10 states, including 51 in New York, 16 in Texas and 14 in California. The CDC counted scattered cases in Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Arizona, Indiana, Nevada and Ohio.

State officials in Maine said laboratory tests had confirmed three cases in that state, not yet included in the CDC count.

Also, Illinois officials cited nine “likely cases,” most of them in the Chicago area, and three schools were shut down.

And the Pentagon said a Marine at the Twentynine Palms base in California had been confirmed to be ill with swine flu and was isolated, along with his roommate. A Marine spokesman at the Pentagon, Maj. David Nevers, said the sick Marine was doing well and his condition continued to improve. Nevers said about 30 others who had been in contact with the sick Marine would be held apart for five days as well as to see if they show symptoms.

Despite calls from many U.S. lawmakers for tightening controls over the Mexico-U.S. border, Obama ruled out that option, even though the swine flu outbreak has been at its most virulent and may have begun there.

At a prime-time news conference on his 100th day in office, Obama said he would heed the advice of health officials, to whom blocking the border “would be akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out, because we already have cases here in the United States.”

Instead, he said his administration had ramped up screening efforts and made sure needed medical supplies were on hand. “The key now is to just make sure we are maintaining great vigilance, that everybody responds appropriately when cases do come up. And individual families start taking very sensible precautions that can make a huge difference.”